Jeff McCabe and Lisa Gottlieb from Selma Cafe. They were truly inspiring! Here’s a quick recap for those of you that didn’t make it: Selma is hosted at the couple’s home in Ann Arbor every Friday morning. You show up, put on a name tag, have an amazing meal made by local chefs with local ingredients, hang out with great people from all over the county, and then leave a donation in a jar at the table. Those donations go to keeping Selma up and running, but then also get funneled back into the community by way of helping to fund the construction of new hoop houses on local farms. Really an inspired idea!

Jeff also spoke about his new project at Tilian Farm Development Center. This project is a “farm incubator”- essentially, they help new farmers get their businesses started that perhaps otherwise would not be able to. They do this by hosting them on a piece of land, providing them with access to tools, facilities, and resources to help them get their farms up and running. After a few years, the aim is that they will be able to buy their own land and equipment and continue providing good food for the people of the community while creating a healthy livelihood for themselves and their families.

These two were a great example of the whole “Farm & Food” concept. They have a mind for really making a sustainable food system a reality! It was a real pleasure to have them out at the Farm. You can contact them on their site for volunteer opportunities, and also be sure to check out the Tilian site for more information about the organization and their farms.

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March:

Cool People #3- David Klingenberger, owner/chef at The Brinery. This event was seriously fun. The Brinery produces a number of naturally fermented products using produce from local farms. Think sauerkraut, pickled beets, kimchi, etc. These foods have a history rooted in ancient tradition. David was charming as ever and gave us a whole run-down on the history of these pickled treasures, as well as talk about his passion for farming and good food. To quote his website:

“Raw lacto fermented foods are rich in lactobacteria, similar to yogurt, and have many health benefits such as aiding digestion and boosting the immune system.”

Not only did we get to learn all about what makes David love what he does, we also got to taste everything. Oh my, what a treat! These pickles are not like your ordinary vinegar pickles. They hail a variety of complex flavors that are sure to compliment any palate. Not to mention they are all amazingly good for you! You can find David’s products popping up all over the place- at food co-ops, farmer’s markets, and most recently at the local Zingerman’s Deli atop their amazing Reuben sandwich.